Ghost Stories
by The Mirror Above the Sink
Summary: A collection of one-shots starring the Danny Phantom cast in all of its spectral glory. Quite a large variation of genres, though Angst/Hurt/Comfort will probably be the main ones. Rated K for an unstoppable amount of puns.
1. Forgetful

"I can do this," Danny Fenton told himself, not for the first time. A paper was clutched tightly in his hand, though he was careful not to crumple it. He slowly wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen. Glancing around, he made sure that neither of his parents were in there before shuffling over to the basement's door. He was sure they were down there - that was where they were nearly every second of every day, now. Studying, experimenting, ignoring the fact that their son was just up the stairs. All alone while his friends took separate trips halfway across the world to 'get away from these crazy ghost problems' and his older sister off to visit some college she was thinking of attending.

But he hoped that it would be different today. Maybe his parents would listen to him. Maybe they would listen to him today. Maybe they would take their attention off of their inventions long enough for him to explain.

Taking a deep breath, he forced his feet down the second set of stairs and into the lab.

"I can do this," he repeated, looking down at the colorful bit of paper. He looked up again as his foot hit the floor of the lab, which always felt slightly sticky and glowed in the dark thanks to his dad's experiment with 'ectoplasmic steel'.

He looked around the lab, his dad blaringly obvious as he tinkered over the ghost portal's control panel. His mom took a few seconds to locate, over in the opposite corner of the room. She had her hood up and her goggles on as she blowtorched one of her recent inventions that just looked like a metal box with wires sticking out of it. Swallowing thickly, it was to his mother that he went.

"Uh, Mom?" he called softly, his head down as he peered through his bangs at her. She just hummed.

He shifted his feet and swallowed again, lifting the paper closer to his face and clutching it with both hands.

"Um, so, there's this space camp thing that I've really been wanting to go to for a while now, since the space place was letting people in for free..."

She gave an 'uh huh'.

"It says that the whole family can go, so I'm pretty sure you and dad could come along. I told you about it last week, remember?"

She hummed again and bent lower over the box.

"If... if it's okay with you, do you think we could all go? Together?" He looked up hopefully at his mother's back. She straightened suddenly, and Danny felt the happiness bloom inside of him as she turned and pulled her goggles off of her face, smiling wide. He felt his own smile take over his face as she picked up the box thing-

"Jack, I've done it!"

-and walked right past him, actually pushing him out of the way without a glance. As if he wasn't really there.

Even as his smile fell and his hands dropped to his side, he didn't quite process what happened until he heard his mom gushing over the 'Fenton Destructinator' and how the 'ghost boy' stood no chance against it. He stared at the blowtorch she had left on the table, still smoking lightly. Absently, he noticed that there was still a couple of wires left on the table.

He turned his head slightly to look at the scene behind him. His mom was babbling on about the box, while his dad tried to not snatch it out of her hands and take it apart to figure out how it worked.

Both had wide, excited smiles on their faces. They looked happy like this.

Happier than he'd ever seen them outside of the lab.

Finally, his mom seemed to notice him. A surprised look took over her feminine features.

"Danny, how long have you been standing there?" she asked, handing the box to his dad. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Turning to face them completely and ducking his head, he hid the paper behind his back.

"It - it was nothing, Mom. Just came to say hi," he lied with a fake smile. She stared at him a moment longer before smiling back.

"Okay, if that's all it was," she said. "But we're pretty busy down here, and a lot of this stuff is dangerous, so make sure you're wearing a proper jumpsuit next time, alright?"

If Danny had it in him, he would have scowled, said, 'There won't _be_ a next time!' and stormed up the stairs before slamming the door behind him. But as it was, all he did was smile and nod before slipping past them.

"And don't let the ghosts catch ya!" his father suddenly boomed, brandishing the metal box dubbed the 'Fenton Destructinator'. "If they try, we have this baby to destruct them!" His mom nodded and patted her husband on the arm as Danny fled up the metal steps and into the kitchen.

He stalked moodily up to his room, closing the door tightly behind him before throwing himself onto the bed.

They never once saw the space-themed paper in his grasp, informing him that he was invited to the space center's 'young astronaut' astronomy camp, completely free with family welcome. They didn't see as he crumpled the paper into a tiny, extremely condensed ball before he threw it into the already overflowing wastebin, trying in vain to scrub the tears out of his eyes. He sniffed, staring at his lap before his eyes drifted to the paper ball that had bounced out of the bin and onto the floor. He flopped back onto the pillow, listening to his dad's booming laughter and his mom's lady-like giggles.

"They just forgot about it," he murmured to himself. "It's no big deal." He stared up at his plain ceiling, this time not stopping the tears as they slid down the sides of his face and began to dampen the pillow.

* * *

 ** _I really want to make a pun right now, but I feel like now isn't the time._**


	2. Opposite Day

Danny groaned in annoyance as his alarm blared in the previously silent room. He reached out a hand and smacked his hand on his desk a few times, before he found his target and grasped it tightly.

Luckily, he had learned to sleep with his window wide open, so the alarm sailed harmlessly through the opening. The alarm became more and more distant, before a satisfying crunch let him know of the electronic's unfortunate demise flat on the concrete below. Grinning in satisfaction, he let his head fall back on the pillow with a sigh.

Only to spring up a few moments later as he recalled the date.

"Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed, throwing off his covers and hurrying over to his desk. He traced his fingers along the days until he reached the current date. A giant smile took over his face.

"It's Opposite Day!"

* * *

When Danny descended the stairs, Jazz looked up and nearly spit out her drink.

Danny was wearing the polar opposite of his normal clothes. He had a black short-sleeved shirt with green accents, and the circle was replaced with a green square. His blue jeans had been replaced with red jeans (they're real, trust me), and his red sneakers had been traded out for blue ones. His normal passive expression had been replaced with a dark frown, looking out-of-place on her little brother's face. When he spotted her, his scowl became deeper.

"Afternoon, Jasmine," he nearly spat, stalking past her and towards the cabinets. "I hate you and hope you crash on the way to school."

As if the surprise of him getting up early and wearing opposite clothes wasn't enough, now he dropped this on her? She put down her cup, feeling ready to faint.

Until she saw the date upon the calender, hanging innocently on the wall just for occasions like this.

A small smile began to creep upon her face, but she stifled it and scowled as well.

"Bad afternoon, Daniel," she said briskly. "I hate you as well and hope you have a miserable time at school."

"Welcome," he growled, flopping down in a seat beside her with a bowl of spaghetti.

"Thank you," Jazz hissed back, downing her coffee in one go before standing. "Now I'm going to be late for school."

"Hello," Danny snarked, no longer able to fight the grin that spread over his face.

"Hello," Jazz replied, turning and hurrying out of the house to fight her own matching smile. Danny snickered as the door closed, then focused completely on his food.

Though he was distracted by footsteps loudly making their way up the basement steps. He smirked.

This was going to be fun.

As his dad barged through the lab door, Danny looked over at him and scowled.

"Bye, Dad." And he looked back down at his spaghetti. Jack looked confused as Maddie came up beside him.

"Mads, what's Danny-o wearing?"Jack asked his wife, pointing. Maddie sighed.

"It's Opposite Day, honey," she explained. "Everybody acts the opposite of what they usually do." Her husband blinked, processing this information.

"Oh. Oh! I get it!" Jack boomed, grinning widely. "Let's take part in this 'Opposite Day', Mads!"

"Alright, Jack. Just let me get breakfast started," his wife said lovingly, patting his arm.

"Breakfast? You mean dinner!"

"Of course, dear!"

* * *

When Sam and Tucker first saw their best friend, they nearly took a few steps back.

Sam had to stop herself from demanding what had gotten into him that morning.

When he walked up to them, however, the scowl disappeared from his face for a second as he winked at them, grinning slightly, before the angry mask slipped back into place. His friends were confused for a few moments before Tucker slapped his face comically.

"It's Opposite Day. Of course," he moaned. "It's the _one_ holiday Danny never forgets."

"That's a lie," Danny muttered gloomily. "I still remember my birthday, Christmas-"

"'Cause your parents never let you forget that one," Sam interjected, an amused smirk on her face.

"-the day I got my ghost powers, April Fools, and your guys' birthdays," Danny finished, ignoring Sam's interruption. He shrugged as if it didn't really matter to him.

"Point made," Tucker conceded, nodding wisely. "So, what about the ghosts? They won't care that it's Opposite Day." Danny lifted and dropped his shoulders again.

"I'll deal with it when it happens," he mumbled, tucking his hands in his pockets. Sam grinned suddenly.

"Y'know, I think I like this new Danny," she remarked. "Nice and pessimistic." Danny rolled his eyes, though it was obvious he didn't mean it as he lightly bumped his shoulder to Sam's.

"Come on, let's be late to Lancer's class," Tucker joked, digging around in his backpack before pulling out a blue beret. He replaced the red one already on his head with the blue one, then regretfully tucked his PDA away in the front pocket of his bag. The three began walking to Lancer's classroom.

"Hey, Sam, why don't you be opposite for a day?" Danny suggested, making sure to keep his head down. Sam scowled.

"And wear pink, act disgustingly cheerful, and promote carnivores? No, thanks," she scoffed. Tucker shrugged.

"Your loss."

* * *

Mr. Lancer had seen many people dress up and act different for Opposite Day, but he had to say that Danny Fenton was the one that took it the farthest.

Not only had he worn complete opposite clothes, but he practically changed his whole personality to that of a different person. He actually kept his head up and paid attention in class, and turned in the homework he had gotten the day before, completed and neatly written. He nearly had a heart attack when he answered a question right during class, as if he had known it ever since he was born.

He wasn't the only one surprised, though. Ms. Tetslaff had dropped her whistle when he got a nearly record-breaking speed on his mile-run, then proceeded to do another lap just for the fun of it. During lunch, he had surprised his friends by refusing to eat meat and only eating a salad. Tucker, though very (read: _extremely_ ) reluctant, caved in and followed his lead.

The mystery trio's table was meat-free that day, which pleased Sam to no end.

* * *

During Chemistry was the first time a ghost decided it was bored and appeared in Amity Park. Danny groaned quietly and raised his hand.

"Yes, you may go to the bathroom," the teacher said, without bothering to hear his excuse. Danny got up and strolled casually out of the room, before ducking in the empty classroom next door and transforming. He grinned down at his outfit, which he had traded out that morning for a jumpsuit that was the negative version of his usual. Technically, it looked the way it did before he stepped into the portal.

He flew out of the school and looked around, then paused when he saw the scene.

The Box Ghost was here, but instead of boxes, he was terrorizing the people by throwing a multitude of sports balls at anyone that dared to walk near him. Raising an eyebrow, Danny floated over to him.

"Uh, Boxy?"

"I AM THE BOX- uh, I mean, I AM THE BALL GHOST! BEWARE!" the ghost bellowed, raising his arms in a typical zombie-like fashion.

"So... even ghosts participate in Opposite Day? Danny asked, curiously drifting a bit closer. The Box/Ball ghost puffed out his chest and put his fists on his hips.

"THAT IS CORRECT, GHOST CHILD! I AM NO LONGER THE BOX GHOST! I AM THE BALL GHOST! BEWARE!"

"Uh, yeah. Sure, dude," Danny muttered, grabbing his thermos and quickly getting rid of the nuisance. "Wouldn't the opposite of attacking Amity Park be not attacking Amity Park?"

He looked down at the people who had bothered to stop and watch the confrontation. A few waved up at him, though all looked confused at his outfit. He waved back at them, then grinned.

"Happy Opposite Day!" he called, quickly turning invisible and flying back to the school.

* * *

When he reached home that afternoon, he quickly fell onto his bed, exhausted. School had seemed more demanding than usual, though that could've been from the fact that he was actually there to participate. The Box Ghost seemed to have warned the Ghost Zone about the date, since every one that appeared didn't cause (much) trouble. Skulker had even reluctantly said that he let all of his 'prizes' go free, and that he wouldn't hunt the halfa for the day.

"Today was great," Danny breathed into his pillow. "I wish Opposite Day was every day."

 _"So you have wished it, so shall it be."_

Danny's head shot up as time and space seemed to distort around him, making the pictures on his wall warp into mysterious figures. An icy blue mist shot out of his mouth, and he shivered.

"Wait, no! I take it back! _Desiree_!"

* * *

 ** _Well, well, well! Look at this complete failure of an attemt at humor! Go me, eh? Eh?_**

 ** _*Crickets*_**

 ** _*Coughs* Contain yourselves, people. Geez._**


	3. Huànyǐng

It was a race against time, to see if they could get to Vlad before he conquered whatever realm he decided next. The three friends entered a large, grandfather clock-like portal, popping out in a place that looked distinctly Chinese. They were in a large, spacious building with many columns to hold up the ceiling. Glass cases and pedestals were scattered about, filled with old artifacts and the like. A large dragon-shaped statue was in the middle of it all, its mouth agape and its hollow eyes seeming to pierce deep into their souls. Danny looked around for a moment as his friends ran ahead, before suddenly gasping. Sam stopped and looked back at him.

"Danny, what's wrong? We have to hurry!" she urged, making Tucker pause and turn as well. Danny approached a glass case as if in a trance, before stopping directly in front of it.

"Guys..."

The two went to stand beside him, staring at the case as well.

"Danny... It's just a costume," Sam deadpanned. "Let's go!"

"But it's an ancient Chinese _ninja_ costume!" Danny insisted. "And it looks my size! Plus, it's black and white, like my suit!"

"You have to admit, that is pretty cool," Tucker conceded after a moment of studying the suit. Sam just continued her glaring, crossing her arms.

"Vlad could be taking over this era this very moment! We don't have time!" she persisted. Danny just gave her a _look_.

"It has a sword, Sam. Please?" He gave her the best kicked-puppy stare he could. "I promise I won't take long!"

Grimacing, Sam turned away, a slight blush on her face.

"Fine! But if we're too late, I'm blaming you if the whole world praises Vlad as their master when we get back home!"

* * *

A few months later, Sam, Tucker, Danny, and Jazz were taken on a trip to China, courtesy of Danny's parents going to a Ghost Convention. How Danny had convinced Sam and Tucker's parents that it was perfectly fine to allow their children to come along on a trip across a whole ocean with the destructive ghost hunters was a mystery. But he had that self-satisfied aura around him that made nobody eager to ask.

Currently, the teenagers were wandering around the streets, and not even Danny could understand a single thing anyone was saying to them. It was strange to be walking around while everybody spoke a whole other language, almost like trying to speak with Wulf.

"Let's visit a museum!" Jazz said suddenly, smiling wide when she saw a poster clearly showing off a few old artifacts. "I heard Chinese history was intriguing!" The younger three groaned loudly, having already experienced it personally and not at all excited to see it again. But nonetheless, they let Jazz drag them to a museum, where they were determined to not have any fun at all.

That is, until Tucker found a certain ancient portrait and began to laugh loudly. Curious, Sam and Danny walked over, while Jazz was busy trying to 'understand the psychology' behind a nearby painting.

"What's so funny, Tuck?" Danny asked, looking up at the portrait. He suddenly blanched, as if he had seen a particularly annoying ghost.

"What?" Sam looked up as well, before having to slap a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Maybe that disguise did come in handy, after all," Tucker said, not able to stop his snickers. Danny just dropped his face in his hands, groaning.

Before them stood a larger-than-life protrait of a certain teenaged halfa, donning a distinctly ninja-like outfit as he weilded a katana. A certain silver-haired menace laid on the ground, looking battered and weak as the white-haired boy stood triumphantly above him. Beneath it was a plaque, though it had been translated into English below it.

 _'The savior of the ancient Chinese. Legend states that this hero appeared from the heavens, striking down the people's enemy as the people themselves lay there, beaten. A name had not been given, so this hero has been named Huànyǐng._ _Huànyǐng means 'Phantom' in the English language.'_

"I'm impressed," Sam admitted, "but also disappointed. It took months for Amity to get your name right, even though you appear literally every day, and it only takes a glimpse of you for China to get your name right."

"Just goes to prove how low Amity Park's grade point average is," Tucker said helpfully. Danny just groaned again, shaking his head with his hands still covering his face.

"I hate being famous so much, it isn't even funny." But he couldn't fight the grin that spread across his face no matter how hard he tried.

* * *

 _ **I have absolutely no idea where this came from. But I just thought, 'Hey, there's a lack of ninja Danny in today's fics. Why don't I fix that?'**_

 _ **And thus, this was born. Hope you enjoyed it, even if it was short.**_


	4. Dream

Danny laughed breathlessly, thousands of feet above ground with Sam securely cradled in his arms. His breathlessness was not caused by the lack of air, but rather the loving smile Sam directed his way, her petite arms around his neck.

"I love flying," Danny said, voice whipped away by the wind. Sam heard him anyways.

"I love it, too," she sighed. Danny gave her a goofy grin and flew down to the ground, landing on a small hill with a single tree. He set Sam on her feet. She sat in the tree's shade, pulling him down with her even as he changed back to his human form. She leaned against his shoulder, and he rested his cheek on her head. They looked down at the city, where a large statue of Danny himself was being unveiled. The clapping and cheering was all too audible from so far away, and Danny grimaced.

"I can't believe you didn't want to attend your own ceremony," Sam said after a moment, pulling away from him and relaxing back on her hands. Danny gave a half amused, half exhausted smile, trying to pick out Tucker in the midst of the crowd and failing. Every one of the people looked the same from a distance.

"Ah, well, you know me. I kind of like sitting on the sidelines sometimes." He pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them, still smiling. Sam gave him a fond look.

"And your folks are cool with your secret identity?" she questioned, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from him anyways, recalling just how afraid Danny was of telling his parents.

"Yeah, the time for secrets is over," Danny stated confidently. "The world is saved. Time for new beginnings. My dad even says he wants to team up now. Says I can be his sidekick." He gave Sam an exasperated grin that she returned without a moment's hesitation.

"You're a big star now," Sam observed softly, smile dropping. "Probably the biggest in the world."

"Yeah, it's weird, huh?" Danny said, shrugging.

"You'll probably get really busy," Sam continued, glancing at her feet.

"Yeah, what else is new?" Danny said ruefully.

"And I probably won't see much of you anymore." Sam looked away. Danny's smile didn't disappear and instead grew wider.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar-looking blue ring. He grabbed her hand, even as he continued speaking. "Sam, I could never have done any of this without you." When he slipped it on her finger, Sam felt her eyes water. "And I don't care what's coming next. I just hope that, whatever it is, you're there to share it with me."

Danny tentatively met her eyes and gave a bashful smile. Sam stopped admiring the ring so she could meet his eyes.

"I will be," she said, blinking away her tears. She suddenly gave him a glare. "I just have to warn you, I'm no pushover, though. I have my own way of doing things." Her glare softened significantly when Danny continued to smile at her.

"That's what I'm counting on." He grabbed her hands. She let him. They leaned in closer, closing their eyes. Sam opened her mouth.

"Danny, wake up! I know it's the weekend, but this is ridiculous! Your friends will be here any moment!"

* * *

Danny opened his eyes. His glow-in-the-dark stars silently stared back. The smell of bacon drifted from downstairs and filled his room.

He blinked sleep away and pushed his covers away, sitting up slowly. He rubbed his eyes, stared at his feet, and finally rose from the warm confines of his bed. He methodically got dressed in his usual outfit, pale pink pajamas thrown into the hamper. He wandered downstairs, nearly slipping on his socks, where his mother was bustling about in the kitchen in her stained white apron. She gave him a look when he walked in.

"It's about time, sweetie. Breakfast will be ready in a few!" She hummed to herself as she flipped the pancakes. Danny sat at the table with a yawn, slouching down in his seat.

"Morning, Danny-o!" his father boomed from the living room. Danny didn't reply, and his father didn't expect him to. Jazz glanced at him over her most recent study: _Understanding the Human Brain_.

"Nice hair, little brother," she said in lieu of a proper greeting, turning back to her book. Danny scowled and attempted to pat down his mess of raven hair, which absolutely refused to listen to something as insignificant as gravity and stuck up in all directions. He was quickly distracted as his mother set a plate laden with breakfast down in front of him.

"Eat up!" she chirped, handing Jazz a similar plate. She wiped her hands off on her jeans and turned to prepare her own and her husband's breakfasts. Danny ate quickly, then pulled on his shoes and dashed outside with a quick goodbye and a kiss to his mother's cheek. He was just in time; Sam and Tucker were just turning the corner, playfully bantering about their diets. He donned an uncharacteristically thoughtful expression as they approached.

"Hey, guys," he said distantly, glancing back at his generic brick apartment house. His father beamed at him and waved from the window, even as his mother straightened his tie and fixed his suit collar. "I had the weirdest dream…"

"What was it about?" Sam asked, shoving Tucker one last time. "Did Tucker finally abandon his meat-eating ways like I told him to?" Tucker rubbed his arm and faked hurt.

"Did Sam succumb to my demands and finally eat a Nasty Burger?" he retorted, sticking out his tongue. Danny shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"No. First of all, there was this weird green portal in my basement. Like, super weird. It was glowing and stuff. I think it was some kind of ghost portal? Anyways, you guys convinced me to go in there…"

* * *

 ** _I'm not sorry._**


End file.
